James Gyakye Quayson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has successfully won the highly contested Assin North constituency by-election, securing a return to Parliament.
The Electoral Commission officials officially declared him the winner, leading to jubilation among NDC supporters. This victory comes after Quayson was ejected from Parliament last month due to a Supreme Court ruling annulling the 2020 constituency election.
Quayson garnered 17,245 votes, representing 57.56% of the valid votes, while his main rival, Charles Opoku of the New Patriotic Party, secured 12,630 votes, accounting for 42.15% of the valid votes.
Bernice Enam Sefanu of the Liberal Party of Ghana obtained only 87 votes, equivalent to 0.29% of the valid votes. The turnout for the by-election was reported to be high, reaching 74.23%.
Despite facing a criminal trial that could potentially result in a jail term, the NDC fielded Quayson once again, defying warnings from the ruling New Patriotic Party.
President Akufo-Addo, in a pre-election rally, had urged constituents not to vote for Quayson, suggesting that he would bring unnecessary court litigation. However, the constituents demonstrated their support for Quayson by favoring him at the polls, disregarding the president’s advice.
